A Must-Read if You’re Participating in a Virtual Marketplace With Your Art
I just wrapped up a Zoom meeting regarding a virtual marketplace that my father, artist Robert Yonke, will participate in this fall. I’ve seen many social media posts and information about similar opportunities recently. As I’m sure you are, we are always thankful to have new opportunities such as these.
This upcoming event gives him the ability to sell work and provide information about his practice. Because of the event’s marketing and publicity plan, we expect it to get many visitors. Whether or not the visitors purchase work from him is another story, but I’m not focusing on that.
Of Course, I Want to Sell Art!
Don’t get me wrong. I want to make sales and do my best to present work that I think will appeal to the audience the marketplace attracts. My bigger goal is to find new fans and followers for his work. I know that a first-time browser may not buy, but if we can develop a relationship with them, they probably will over time.
Using Virtual Marketplaces to Sell Your Artwork
The Virtual Marketplace is a great way to sell your work and find new customers. Particularly during this time when many live events are postponed or canceled. If you are participating in a similar event, prepare to sell, but also be ready to connect with marketplace visitors. A blog-based website allows you to capitalize on your Virtual Marketplace.
Make sure you have a link back to your website so that you can connect with them. Encourage them to join a mailing list or contact you via email. Ask them to say hello and give feedback on your work. Work to make that initial connection.
The Virtual Artist Marketplace as part of Your Art Marketing System.
I like the analogy of a wheel for your art marketing system, using a blog as the hub of that system. The virtual marketplace is a channel in that wheel.
Here’s how this wheel looks in action.
A blog post devoted to the virtual event is published, encouraging readers to visit the marketplace, This hopefully results in sales from current collectors and fans. The marketplace will also have links back to his blog-based website and a post about learning more about him. This information will allow new contacts that find him on the marketplace to discover more about him at his blog. It’s pretty simple, but for this to happen, there has to be a system in place. We have to have the blog based website, and we have to make sure that we give ample opportunity for people to visit it with links back to it on the marketplace.
Would you Like Help Preparing for Your Virtual Artist Marketplace?
Do you need an artist blog? Get my free guide to setting up an artist blog here.
For even more help, visit my Artist Blogging Services or Artist Blogging Courses.
If you subscribe to my newsletter, I’ll send a follow-up message to a link with my father’s profile when it’s ready, so you can see what we did. You can join the list here.
Photo by rupixen.com on Unsplash
